Lesbian Fire Chief Ignites Sexual Flames in Department

Lesbian Fire Chief Ignites Sexual Flames in Department
by Steve Jordahl

Two years ago, Minneapolis was bursting with pride for hiring the first lesbian fire chief in America. Today the city is ruing its decision.

It’s a torrid tale of romance and power mongering, and if there is a pink elephant in the room, it’s that almost all the players are gay. Lesbian Fire Chief Bonnie Bleskachek designed a test for the position of Battalion Chief, and only two firefighters passed. One was a former partner of the chief, the other was a former partner of the chief’s current flame. Now there are four suits against Bleskachek and the department; two by the firefighters that passed when the promotion was denied, and two by firefighters who didn’t pass. Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Institute says the drama could have been prevented.

“Yeah, I think it’s a mess. It’s a mess for the city; it’s a public relations disaster.”

It’s not that a straight chief could not have produced the same chaos, but Prichard says it is far more likely in gay relationships.

“It’s really presenting to the public an underlying dynamic of homosexual behavior that these relationships are not stable; they’re not healthy.”

Bob Knight of the Culture and Media Institute says in its rush to champion gay rights, Minneapolis overlooked some signs of trouble.

“I think administrators ought to take a hard look at this case and see if she’d been given a pass previously out of political correctness.”

He says it’s unlikely that Bleskachek got to the top of the ladder without setting off some alarms. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

© 2006 Focus on the Family. CitizenLink is a registered trademark of Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.